Melting the Ice
by Praeludium
Summary: At Sofia's age, most kids would already have started developing a first crush; though some would probably deny it. Sofia isn't one of them—nope. She doesn't have one. She definitely hasn't taken a tiny liking to her skating partner. Besides, Sofia knew there was no way he would like her back; and she wouldn't want him to. Why would she?
1. Kindle

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sofia the First in any way. This fic is only for my own entertainment and literary practice.**

 **AN: Despite being busy, I just couldn't resist; so I finished writing this and posted as soon as I could.**

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Chapter 1: Kindle

Childhood crushes—most people would have at least one of these, whether they admit it or not. Arguably, one of the most memorable childhood crushes a person will ever have is their first one. This first one many would mistake as "love," it usually isn't, but who can ever really know whether it is or isn't. What makes it interesting is that what someone does in response to those feelings might not always be rational. It's not just adults who do crazy stuff when they're supposedly "in love." Kids can do the darndest, and for some, the most embarrassing, things in the name of "love." Pulling hair, taunting, calling names, or just straight up clinging like a puppy to whomever they like—there are also a lot who just run away—even though none these things would be considered particularly romantic, it's funny that these are actually done by children, sometimes adults, out of infatuation. But, in due credit, kids can also be the sweetest—some children save allowance to buy a present, would you believe that? These first crush experiences vary greatly, but no matter how different they are, they all then become memories—memories that some people would be able to remember fondly, and leave some to cringe at the slightest thought of it. How does it start? How does it end? Whatever happened in between? Answers vary from person to person, and one little princess unknowingly just might start getting hers.

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Sofia's skates landed hard enough on the ice to make a sound audible enough to hear from the other side of the frozen lake even with all the other students jumping and dancing around. She spun violently as soon as she hit the ice, exited with a glide decelerating along the boundaries of the lake.

He was very late, maybe even a no-show, again—not that that mattered to her; she was only worried that he was playing truant in ice dancing practice too often that he might get significant demerits. She even waited for him for a few minutes even after everyone else had already started skating, too—not that she was looking forward to skating with him. They always skated together; there's nothing to get excited about. It's just that he promised to help her get her "Sparkling Fireworks flip" down. Yes, it was just that.

"Is there something wrong, Princess Sofia?" asked Flora as she approached the princess who was about to slow down to a stop. Flora, aside from being an instructor and headmistress of a school, she was also a fairy—she even acted as a fairy godmother a handful of times. She was adept at sensing emotions. But, it doesn't take a fairy of her caliber, heck, it doesn't even take a fairy, to see from how Sofia was skating that the purple skater was clearly in a frustrated mood. "That was quite the heavy landing," Flora added.

"Nope, no problem here, Miss Flora," Sofia smiled her sweetest smile while slightly leaning forwards and with hands clasped behind her, "I just didn't time my flip well."

"Okay, then," said Flora knowingly after a short pause, "Just be careful and take it easy. Ice dancing shoes are very delicate." Flora talked with a tone as if she saw through all of Sofia; and, with all the experience and wisdom she stocked up over the years of her life, she might as well have really done so. "Holding it in is never a good idea; but taking it out on the ice and on your skates might not be the best one, either," commented Flora, slyly as she floated away to the approaching, tardy student she spotted from the corner of her eye.

Flora might not know exactly what was bothering Sofia, but she had a good idea. She intercepted the path of the prince heading Sofia's way. "Late again, Prince Hugo. Class is about to end," said Flora. She passed him without anything else beyond a look saying, "Final warning, don't be late again!" Flora supposed that she could always reprimand him some other time; but precious childhood experiences like developing young and innocent puppy love... she won't get in the way of that, unless she deems it detrimental of course. She watched for a second as Hugo neared Sofia before going to the other students. Flora sighed with blissful reminiscence, she was getting old—it reached that point again, another set of students experiencing for the first time one of the thrills that came with growing up. Oh, to be young again!

"Hey, Sofia!" greeted Hugo over the sound of Flora's voice announcing that class was dismissed. Hugo dropped his ice dancing shoes on the snow and sat down, starting to take off the shoes he had on.

Sofia had her arms folded and crossed, her cheeks puffed.

"Something on my face?" asked Hugo as he put on his ice dancing shoes.

"You were supposed to be here an hour ago."

"Hey, the important thing is that I'm here now."

"Hugo, that's not the point," said Sofia throwing her arms down.

"What is?" said Hugo, cutting Sofia off before she could say what she was about to, "I'm here, you're here, and the ice is still frozen."

Sofia rolled her eyes.

"Come on," said Hugo standing up and extending his hand, "We can still dance."

Sofia put her right hand on her left arm and glanced towards her sister who was still talking and gliding about the rink with her friends, "I don't know. I can't leave Amber and James waiting."

"Amber's still dancing," said Hugo shrugging, "I'm sure they won't mind waiting just a little bit. Besides, you needed help on your Sparkling Fireworks, didn't you?"

Sofia bit her lower lip in thought and loosened up to an unsure smile afterwards, "Okay, maybe just for a moment."

"Perfect!" Hugo grabbed his partners hand, kicked off the ground and hopped onto the ice next to where his partner was already standing, "Let's go!"

"Who-oah," exclaimed Sofia when she was pulled into a sudden burst of speed and almost even losing her balance. Scratch that—she did lose her balance. She slipped on her heel and started falling face first towards the cold ice, "Ack, Hugo!"

Hugo wasn't about to let her partner fall. He pulled her into a twirl and caught her back as she was falling. "Don't worry, I've got you," he stared at his partner's eyes as he supported her leaning posture with his left hand and his right still on her hand. "Put a little more faith in me would 'ya," he added jestingly.

She didn't like him—she really didn't, not in that way. But she couldn't stop feeling her face warm up as the gentle pumping of her heart increased in intensity to what was more like a rapid hammering. She looked away, she couldn't bear to keep eye contact. She might end up grinning like an idiot. Knowing him—especially since it's him, she knew she would get teased. She shouldn't even be ice dancing right now, not when it was time to go home with James and Amber—she hated how easily he could persuade her. He was mischievous, but she always found herself getting caught up in his antics and end up having fun herself.

Sofia snapped herself out of it. She planted a heel on the ice and used it as an anchor to pivot to an upright position, trailing in line just behind Hugo, with her hand still tethered to him. "Here goes nothing," said Sofia as she picked up her speed.

Hugo understood that Sofia was about to attempt her flip and gave her space to speed up and pass him. "Go for it."

Sofia used the edge of her blades to forcefully push herself to greater acceleration while Hugo helped by suddenly jerking Sofia forward by her hand. She inhaled deeply to prepare herself for the jump. She had attempted the flip a couple of times, but she had always seemed to land on her behind. She had more speed this time, it shouldn't happen again. At least, she hoped it wouldn't, because more speed also meant that it would hurt a lot more.

Breathing out, she rolled over her shoe's toe pick and jumped. One twirl, followed by a backflip into a butterfly kick and twist, and ending with a somersault and twirl. She did it—the only thing left was landing on her feet; but, she ended the twirl leaning too far backwards. While she did land on her blades, her center of gravity was outside her base of support; she started falling before she could even do anything about it. She squeezed her eyes shut as she anticipated the inevitable impact—but it never came.

"Caught you again," said Hugo as he pushed Sofia to a stand, "That's close, but not quite. You stopped your somersault too early, that's why you're leaning when you twist and land. Try staying on it for a little bit more."

"O-okay," said Sofia. There it was again. Was she sick? She could feel her cheeks redden. It was definitely cold outside but it felt like the middle of summer. She shook it off once more and accelerated for her jump. She was flustered; she didn't know what she was feeling, she just wanted to enjoy the skate and get her flip right.

"Wait, it's too early!"

Another failed attempt but without penalty. "You know I'll always catch you, but sometimes it looks like you really _want_ to fall," joked Hugo to which Sofia responded to a faux-angry pout. "Take your time and jump when you're ready."

"I have to go, Amber and James are waiting."

"You'll get it this time, I know it," said Hugo, "Just keep your eyes on me like you always do."

She didn't always look at him, did she? She refused to believe so. "I don't do that," Sofia denied.

"You should, though," smirked Hugo as he tugged and released her again to a speedup, "It gives you a reference point." "Gives you a great view too," he added cheekily.

Sofia shook her head to dismiss his remark and sped up. She inhaled as always to steel herself for the jump. Here it came again. Her legs shook as if telling her not to jump. She then found herself looking unconsciously back at Hugo. He was grinning with two thumbs up, mouthing, "You can do it." Rid of every bit of hesitation she had just a few seconds ago, she took a leap and flew.

"I did it!" exclaimed Sofia as she turned around looking for her partner. Her velocity was stopped by a gentle push from behind her shoulders, or rather, Hugo's hand's on her shoulders.

"I'm right behind you," said Hugo, "You did great." He skated ahead of Sofia while she was midair. He knew she would turn around the moment she landed the jump.

Sofia bowed her head down a little to hide the blush that ran across her face from ear to ear, "Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

"A-hem," Amber cleared her throat from the edge of the lake. She already had her ice dancing shoes off. "Are you ready to go, Sofia?"

"Can't she stay for just one more dance?"

Amber was about to refuse until she saw her sister's face; then, she grinned. "Sleep in my room tonight, Sofia. I think we have a _lot_ to talk about," said Amber, "I'll be waiting in the coach, then. Don't keep her too long, Hugo."

"Wait, I'm ready to leave now."

"She said it was okay," said Hugo as he skated around Sofia to face her. "Just one more, please? You know I don't say 'please' often."

She didn't know why, but she couldn't bring herself to say no. Get a grip, Sofia, she told herself—but to no avail; she took his hand. "I'll be there right before you know it," said Sofia to Amber.

What was she doing. She needed someone to tell her to stop what she's doing. She wanted her amulet to glow. Anything. It was getting out of hand. If she stayed a little longer her chest might explode. She concluded that she really might be sick; but, she still decided to stay and dance.

Hugo spun her in front of him as Amber walked away smiling.

oOo

"You said just one," complained Sofia as they walked together to where the coaches were.

"Takes two to dance," replied Hugo, "You're at fault too."

She bumped his elbow.

Hugo seemed to always know the right things to say to make her feel tingly. It was weird feeling. It was uncomfortable. It was like she didn't have enough air in her. When did he learn to do so—did he even know what he was doing? Sometimes, it was painful, like a brief churning from inside her chest—but she can't admit that she doesn't hate the feeling. She was conflicted; how can she both be averse and seeking at the same time. She knew it was crazy but she couldn't help but have a strange longing for more of it whenever the feeling rears its head.

Their knuckles accidentally brushed against each other, and Hugo's hand jolted back in reflex. "Whoa, your gloves are freezing. Why do you wear such thin ones?"

"You don't even wear gloves. Your hands are just as cold as mine."

"Then how about this," said Hugo as he innocently held her hand.

With every little thing he does the feeling grew stronger. It was strange how much it made her feel weak but also empowered at the same time. It's cheesy—but it is what it is. She just wanted to know how and why. Why does he make her feel the way she does?

"Warmer?" Hugo asked, grinning.

* * *

At times, crushes start in the most unlikely person you would ever like and it could make you feel things out of this world. It's an irrational thing that can bring down even the most rational of people. She was level headed, smart, and mature for her age, but it didn't make her immune to its effects. In fact, it was only going to get worse. This part of growing up can be quite the ride.

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 **AN:** I hope that you enjoyed reading. Help me improve by telling me what you think through reviewing, please.  
*Edit (12/9/16): Just some minor dialogue modifications at the end.


	2. Heat

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sofia the First in any way. This fic is only for my own entertainment and literary practice.**

 **AN: Thank you for the kind reviews. To SofiaxHugo Fan, I'm sorry that your other review wasn't posted. I tried to combine your two reviews so that it wouldn't inflate my stats—apparently, editing reviews in the Moderate Guest Reviews module does not work that way. In the end, your other review accidentally got deleted. Rest assured though that I have read it and greatly appreciated it as I do with every form of feedback I have gotten from using this site. Also, this isn't a one-shot; this is a story about 5 chapters long—maybe I unintentionally sounded too final on my first chapter. Anyways, here's the second chapter, everyone. I hope you all enjoy.**

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Chapter 2: Heat

There are times when people choose not to believe when subconsciously they do know something is true. Such is called "denial." How susceptible a person is to assume a phase of denial depends upon what the subject of disbelief is and, of course, his personality. Even the most adaptive of people can undergo this state of mind given the right circumstances. Denial may be a protective mechanism of the brain—some things _are_ too grave to be swallowed whole, after all. However, denial might also be strongly limiting and possibly adverse. Either way, denial is something to overcome—it cannot be left to creep and solidify. If it proves difficult, there is no shame in taking it slow. There are cases, though, that the denial is so deeply rooted that it would be almost impossible for the person in question to come to own that he is only but lying to himself—or rather, specific to a certain princess, that _she_ is only lying to herself. Her palms sweat, her ears warm up, she feels this whirlwind of emotion so often when dealing with her skating partner that it is incredibly irksome to her how she could barely contain herself when she normally has her wits well controlled. There is no mistaking that she is in a dire state—and whatever the cause of those feelings, whatever the cause of her denial of having those feelings, she is deep in it. Lucky for her, her well-meaning sister is prodigiously perceptive and can be quite nosy.

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"So, how was school?" asked King Roland, as he did routinely every dinnertime on a school day.

"Oh, we had our Potions II exam," said James after humming in thought for a second.

"Really? How did it go?"

"Honestly, I have no idea," remarked James. It was definitely one of the harder exams they have ever had; and James decided is was worth a lengthy monologue over dinner. "There was this one question where they had us write down 10 possible ingredients of a potion," began James, "And the question only gave the effe-OW!" He was stopped by pinch on his arm under the table. He jerked his head towards Amber who was sitting beside him. Amber was holding _that_ smile—the smile that James knew from being her twin she was up to something. Conveniently, that same smile also meant "Shush, James." He rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath, "I wasn't done."

"Daddy, Mother," said Amber, still holding her signature smile, "You might have noticed that we stayed in school longer today."

"Now that I think about it, you did, didn't you?" said Miranda.

"You both should have seen it. I've had the pleasure of watching Sofia and Hugo practice. It was so cute. And, Sofia was-"

Sofia felt her heart skip a beat. So that's what she was going for, thought Sofia. She had to change the subject, "I know right? That Potions exam was super hard. I hope we still did well," said Sofia frantically as she quickly stood up, her ears red.

"Whoa there, Sofia, sit down, I'm sure you all did fine," laughed Roland, "So, what were you saying about Sofia, Amber?"

Sofia felt uneasy in anticipation of what Amber was going to say next. She felt like her soul left her body; there was this strange feeling of cold and emptiness that made her feel as if she was hollow on the inside. Amber can't possibly think that she had a crush on Hugo; that's ridiculous! But, Amber might just have gotten the wrong idea. Sofia was worried that Amber might make mom and dad think that she liked Hugo. Amber was wrong.

"As I was saying," said Amber, "Sofia was amazing, she did like a dozen flips and twirls in the air. It was beautiful."

"Wow, that's great, Sofia. You should let us see it some time."

"T-thanks," said Sofia with a shaky breath of relief and a nervous laugh, "M-maybe you'll get to see it on the next recital."

oOo

"What are you trying to pull, Amber?' Sofia asked her sister on the hallway after dinner, exasperated. It was one of those rare times that she was genuinely mad at her sister. She had only raised her voice on Amber a few times—less than the number of fingers there is on one hand, in fact.

"Huh?"

Oh how irksome can Amber be at times. "You know, when you told Mom and Dad about ice dancing."

"What do you mean? I really do believe you're amazing; and I'm your sister—I'm automatically your number 1 fan," said Amber with a wink.

"Not that," said Sofia. "You were," she sighed then lowered her voice, "you were hinting at something else."

"But I told them exactly what I saw—no details left out," said Amber. "Unless, there's something you feel I've left out?" asked Amber rhetorically with her signature victorious smirk.

Pink rushed across Sofia's face, running across from ear to ear, passing over her cheeks. "No! There isn't," said Sofia firmly.

Amber broke into a sudden flurry of excitement, "I knew it! There is something."

"No. I _just_ said there isn't," said Sofia, turning around to retreat, "I'm going to bed."

"You know, Hugo was talking about you at lunch the other day."

"He was? What did he say?' Sofia asked, quickly turning back to Amber and being met by another one of her smug, knowing smirks.

"Mmhmmm," hummed Amber. "I got you, Sofia. You know you can tell me anything," said Amber, assuming an older-sister-authority demeanor; but she immediately broke character by cheekily and enthusiastically adding, "So tell me all about what's going on between you and Hugo."

"There isn't anything to talk about."

"Daddy," called out Amber to the relatively empty hallway.

"Alright, alright," said Sofia, still blushing, "But, don't get your hopes up. I'm telling you there really is nothing."

"I'll be the judge of that. Remember, you're sleeping in my room tonight."

Sofia knew it was going to be a loooong night. There really was nothing to talk about. She and Hugo were just friends. Period. Why couldn't just Amber believe her?

oOo

Why did she let herself fall into this mess, thought Sofia. She was already sitting on Amber's bed. Amber was serious about having this mini-"slumber party" between them. "Sister-bonding," Amber called it.

"Okay, when did you start to like Hugo?"

"I don't!" denied Sofia in reflex.

"So, you don't like him?" asked Amber, knowing just the right buttons to push to unravel a vulnerable Sofia.

"No, I like him. I mean I don't _like_ him; I like him as a friend—that's it." Yes, that was it. Hugo was just a friend to Sofia. He was a friend that she enjoyed skating together with; a friend whom she looked forward to meeting every day; a friend that could somehow make her simultaneously feel both like she's the prettiest girl in the room and like she's a nervous wreck. Yeah, sounds like a regular guy friend.

"Okay, just friends then."

"Yep, just friends," said Sofia, "Does this mean I can sleep in my room now?"

"We're not done," said Amber, laying her head down on her pillows. "What do you like about Hugo?"

"I don't like him."

"As a friend."

"He's-" Sofia couldn't answer right away. It's hard for her to pick out certain things about a friend that she liked best. She hadn't thought too much about it before. When it came to friends, she just liked them all in general. She doesn't look for a certain characteristic when making friends, it was just a matter of whether they would want to or not. For every one of the friends she had made, they all turned out to be good and nice people; and that was enough.

"He's nice."

"Hugo? He knocked you off your flying horse once."

"He's nice once you get to know him."

"And? That can't possibly be all."

"He's reliable and helpful," said Sofia, "He helped me get better at ice dancing."

"You give such boring answers, Sofia."

"Beeecause that's all there is? I told you, Amber, Hugo's great and all but I only like him as a friend."

"I think he's cute."

Sofia had to spend a few seconds to process what she had just heard. "Come again?"

"No, really, he's cute."

"I-I guess?"

Amber studied her sister's ever growing blush which egged her to push on. Her strategy was to throw out the vaguest compliments she could think of and hopefully Sofia takes the bait on at least one of them.

"His eyes are alluring, wouldn't you say?"

"If you say so, Amber." His eyes do have this weird way of pulling you in, she admitted in her mind.

"And his smile," said Amber, with a small pause as she scrambled her mind for something good to say about his smile, "is so... fitting. It suits him."

"Sure." It wasn't nearly as much about his smile than his whole expression, though, thought Sofia. The way he slightly lifts up his eyebrows when he smiles—she had always found it charming. Ack, she was getting swept up by Amber. "I know what you're trying to do!"

"Too late, Sofia. You've said every word out loud."

"I don't like him."

Her sister just wasn't giving in. She had to bring out her trump card, "Well, I do."

The world stopped for Sofia for a moment. "What?"

"I like Hugo," said Amber, sitting up to make eye contact with Sofia; which she regretted at once when she saw her sister's face painstakingly suppressing a grimace.

Sofia felt a dull, compressive sort of pain just a little below her chest, where her ribs ended. Amber liked Hugo. So that was why she was asking so many questions about him as of late. Why couldn't have Sofia realized it sooner. "I-I didn't know."

Amber couldn't find words to say—she kept silent.

Sofia supposed it made sense. Amber was one of those in the _in-_ crowd. Everybody in Royal Prep loved Amber. Hugo, too, was one of the "popular kids." In hindsight, thought Sofia, Amber was cheering for Hugo when she had just found out about flying derby. They do seem kind of close—Amber was very comfortable talking to him earlier. The farther Sofia's train of thought travelled, the stronger the pain grew. Maybe what she ate for dinner didn't just come down well; maybe it got stuck just before it reached the stomach—it certainly felt that way. It was like a huge ball was stuck a little beyond her sternum.

"I-If you want, I could help have you and Hugo become ice dancing partners staring tomorrow," offered Sofia, trying her best to ignore the fuzzy, swelling feeling that continued to develop in her chest. But she couldn't. It just grew more painful with every thought of Amber replacing her as Hugo's ice dancing pair. She and Hugo only ever get to really spend time together during ice dancing—sometimes derby. But often times, they don't get to talk much. Hugo was always surrounded by his set of friends during free periods, and she was always with her friends. Her not being his ice dancing partner would practically mean that they wouldn't get to talk anymore—rarely, at best; and that did not sit well with Sofia. She hated the thought so much that she couldn't hold in the frown that was currently breaking through her efforts and defenses to conceal.

Amber launched forward and hugged her sister tightly, "I'm so sorry."

Sofia felt as if her body had turned to jelly. It was loose, shaky, and she barely had any control. It felt like she was just a pillow and she couldn't hug Amber back. "What for?"

"I didn't mean it. I lied." Amber didn't say anything else but just continued embracing Sofia.

Sofia liked Hugo as a friend; but, for what might be the first time, she considered that maybe she liked him a little more than she had thought.

* * *

Getting out of a state of denial may be a slow process for some people; and it may be quick for some. It may be smooth sailing for others, and be excruciating for the rest. Only Sofia can know exactly what she went through; but, assuredly, Sofia had just made her first few steps into accepting that she might have a crush on Hugo—just a tiny one.

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 **AN:** R &R please. Do you think this one was an improvement from the first chapter? I hope you enjoyed.  
*(2016/12/08) AN: I'll be back once Christmas break starts; the next chapter will probably be up before the end of December.


	3. Ignite

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sofia the First in any way. This fic is only for my own entertainment and literary practice.**

 **AN: Here it is. I hope that I've improved at something. Tell me what you think I did right or wrong, and I hope you will enjoy reading.**

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Chapter 3: Ignite

Usually, kids hide the identity of their first crush—save for maybe a few friends. Sometimes, the information just leaks out. Other times, it's just too plain obvious to everybody else. But, the fact stands that kids _do_ tend to conceal the secret; and for a good reason: teasing. Teasing, even between friends, can be straining; it can be uncomfortable. Worst of all, it can be humiliating; especially if the crush in question finds out—even more so if the feeling is not mutual. And, there is also that non zero probability of receiving something more hurtful than rejection. Reactions like "eww, gross," or worse, direct ridiculing from the crush, those are stuff of nightmares for kids coping with their budding first "love." Because of this, some go beyond denying their first crush—when pushed to a corner, they take measures to "prove" that they don't have one on which person. It doesn't take a genius to tell that that could horribly backfire.

* * *

She wasn't like the other princesses. He could actually shove on the ice to give her speed and she wouldn't mind. He could grab her wrist as tightly as he could and she wouldn't say "Ow." He could speak his mind and talk unlike a prince and she wouldn't think him unrefined and unruly. Simply put, he didn't have to hold back in consideration. He could play as rough with Sofia as he could with the boys—foot racing, fencing, tennis, anything, he knew Sofia could hold her own. That's why he never did hold back against her; and it's also why he wouldn't want any other skating partner.

Hugo couldn't keep his eyes away from Sofia who was on the other side of the cafeteria. He was engrossed—so much so that he couldn't hear anything his brother was saying.

"Earth to Hugo," said Axel, snapping his fingers directly in front of Hugo's right ear.

Hugo snapped out of his trance, dazed. Hugo muttered a short "Hnnh?" as his mind tried to sync him back to realtime. "What?" asked Hugo, finally coming to, annoyed.

Axel cleared his throat. "As I was saying-," he paused, changing his mind about continuing as if without the interruption, "Actually, Baby Bro, you tell me. What _was_ I saying?" Axel rested a cheek on his palm, with his elbow firmly rooted on the table.

Hugo had no idea what his brother was talking about; but he knew he had to think of something. Axel wasn't always the loving, protective sort of older brother—he rarely was, in hindsight—he was more of the unintentional-slash-intentional bully-out-of-affection kind. Him not paying his brother attention usually meant bad news for him, in varying degrees. Hugo knew Axel long enough, however, that his current predicament was no more than a mere game to him—he had done this several times over, and he had usually been correct in his deductions. The secret was to answer ambiguously to try and stall; bits of information could then be gathered as it goes on. "Of course I was listening. What you were talking about was very interesting."

"Oh really? Humor me then, what was it all about?" said Axel smirking. Axel wasn't going to let Hugo win this time—he already loses intentionally far too often. Axel knew without a doubt that Hugo tended to tunnel vision: he was either focused on you or he wasn't. There was no "in-between." Normally, Axel would just have let him off, making him think that he had guessed the topic correctly when in reality Axel was dropping major hints voluntarily. It's different this time: Hugo _not_ paying attention had been too frequent an occurrence recently, and Axel wanted in on why. He has his ideas, and if confirmed, he knew that it could be significant leverage against Hugo until his little brother could get over it. And, playfully picking on Hugo a bit seemed to be the most consistently successful strategy for digging up dirt based on their history as brothers.

Hugo immediately noticed the deviation of this conversation from the usual pattern of the "game." He shuffled through scenarios in his head as fast as he could to think of the best reply without giving away that he didn't pay the slightest bit of attention to his older brother.

"Admit it, Baby Bro. You weren't listening. In case you're wondering, I was talking about how my first class as a substitute teacher went—you know, the reason I'm here. I'm surprised you didn't try to guess that."

"Okay, fine. I didn't listen," Hugo admitted, giving up.

"I knew it. Question is why, though."

"Just got something on mind, that's all," said Hugo, poking on what's left of his meal on his plate.

"Some _thing_ or some _one_? Seems to me like my little brother found himself a girlfriend."

Uncharacteristically, Hugo's cool demeanor shattered; his face flushed and his ears warmed up, "Sofia is _not_ my girlfriend."

"Never said anything about her. Sofia, huh," Axel grinned, "So that's who. Thanks for telling me." Axel had gotten Hugo right where he wanted him. He had him totally outplayed. It gave Axel immense satisfaction knowing that he now had the greasiest, juiciest bit of intel he could have against Hugo. He doesn't intend to let it go to waste. It was only natural for him to use it to it's utmost potential and not anything less just to see his cute little brother's reactions.

"You were hinting at her and you know it."

"That was all you, Bro. I only said 'girlfriend' and you jumped right on thinking I was talking about her."

"No!"

"Seems to me like Sofia's your top pick out of all the girls here," said Axel, "Not really who I'd pick if I were you; but, I suppose if my baby brother likes her, then I'd like her for you too."

"I told you she isn't!"

"Not yet at least. That's why you have me. There was a girl I really liked when I was your age too; I totally get you."

"She's not!"

"Okay, okay, then who is? You can't tell me there isn't because I already know there is. Come on, you don't have to hide anything from me."

Hugo did not want to admit it. He'd be laughed at if it gets out. Things would most definitely become awkward between him and Sofia too. Sofia was just his skating partner. She was pretty and sweet, yeah; but, his type? No. He. Does. Not. Like. Sofia.

"You're as red as a tomato. You've got it bad. You'll feel better once you own up to it. You like Sofia."

James then casually walked by, overhearing just the name of his sister. It got him curious. "What about Sofia?"

"Nothing!" said Hugo through his clenched teeth all the while glaring at Axel.

"Lesson 1, Baby Bro. Approval from family goes a long way. Who else better to tell than to a good friend of yours who is also coincidentally her brother?"

"Tell me what?"

"Nothing!" said Hugo in a similar fashion as he did previously, only this time with more vigor.

Axel sighed, seeing how insistent his brother was. "Have it your way. It's nothing, James. We were just talking about how my Baby Bro liked how Sofia skates."

"And here I thought that I heard you say Hugo liked Sofia," James laughed, "Funny how things could be misheard so badly."

It was, indeed, funny how things could easily be misheard as Khalid who was walking by heard a bit of their conversation. "Did you say Hugo likes Sofia?" he half-shouted in surprise.

Hugo's gaze bolted in lightning speed towards the far end of the cafeteria where Sofia was sitting, hoping that she didn't hear Khalid, which he found out that thankfully she didn't. Too bad, every table near them did.

oOo

"I don't know, Amber," said Sofia to Amber, oblivious to all the commotion from the other side of the cafeteria.

"Trust me, just ask him out for tea. It would be a date—and he wouldn't know it. To him it would be just hanging out as friends. Once you gauge him, you could decide to tell afterwards what it really was. It's 100% foolproof!"

"I haven't even decided whether I do _like_ him."

Amber raised a brow. "After last night, you still have doubt?" It had been a long night; Amber sacrificed precious beauty sleep talking to Sofia. Last night didn't end with the stunt she pulled—that was just the tip of the iceberg. In the end, they had only been able to sleep just 4 hours before they had to get up and prepare for school.

"Well..."

Amber caught glimpse in her periphery of Hugo suddenly jerking his head to look in their direction. "See that, Sofia?"

"What?" said Sofia, turning around, trying to spot what Amber was looking at, "I don't see anything."

"It's Hugo. He's been looking this way every now and then. Tell me that isn't the biggest hint that he likes you too."

Sofia blushed. "Amber," said Sofia in an embarrassed, reprimanding tone.

"I know, I know. We shouldn't jump to conclusions; but is there really any other plausible explanation?"

"There's plenty. He might not be even looking at me in the first place."

"We're at an edge of the room, Sofia. There's nothing else to see except you and me. And, he's not looking at me, at least I hope not—eww, no. No offense."

Sofia rolled her eyes.

"Just do it. I'll even join you. It's just a friendly invitation—there's nothing to lose."

Sofia mulled it over before finally caving. Nothing was going to change if she didn't do anything; something must be done. He didn't have to _like_ her back—she just wanted to be closer friends, or at the very least, get to spend more time with him. "Okay, let's go."

Amber looked dozens of times more excited than Sofia was—understandably so, since Sofia was nervous and had every right and reason to be. They both knew that something was going to change that day as they walked towards the Hugo's table.

oOo

Murmurs echoed around the nearby tables, speaking of how Hugo had a crush on Sofia. Things were not going well.

"Is it true? I find that hard to believe! Maybe it's the other way around."

"No, my ears can't be wrong, I literally just heard that it's Hugo who likes Sofia."

"Maybe they both do."

Those were the types of gossip that flooded their side of the cafeteria. It was getting uncomfortable. Even with Axel doing his best to calm everyone down and to kill the unintentionally spread rumor, it was just too much chaos. Axel's words just seem to make the gossiping worse.

Hugo saw Sofia and Amber draw nearer. No. He couldn't let Sofia hear this—he wouldn't be able to bear it. Sofia must not know how much she makes a mess of his mind. She can make him feel a strong urge to hold her tight whenever she's near him. She could make him want to peck her head with just the scent of her hair. She could make his heart skip beats by just merely being carried by him after flips during ice dancing. She made him soft. He was not soft—he didn't want to be. Cool was what he was—not flustered, not turbulent, and definitely not in love.

"Why's everyone looking at you?" Amber whispered to Sofia.

"I-I don't know," Sofia whispered in reply.

The murmurs continued. Hugo knew it was only a matter of time before Sofia overheard. He had some major damage control to do. It was a stressful situation—even an adult could feel pressured by being the center of realtime gossip of this many people that he actually knew. People become rash when put on the spot; they become impulsive when in a dire situation—Hugo was no exeption.

"Shut up! I don't _like_ Sofia, okay? She's just a girl I skate with, nothing more—and there never will be. No one has a crush on anyone; so just stop and mind your own business," he shouted.

Sofia and Amber finally understood what all the ruckus was about. They also found out why Hugo was so often looking their way just moments ago—at least they thought they did. Of course, they didn't know the whole story; but, with what they already did know, it was hard not to come to a conclusion that is a skewed version of the reality.

It was crushing. The statement was powerful, so much so that it practically froze time; especially for both skaters in Royal Prep's famous ice dancing duo. What happened has already past; no matter how much anyone hates the current events, it had already occurred. Time unfortunately cannot run backwards.

* * *

Hugo and Sofia's relationship was as static as ice—some change was in order. But, the change that would be brought by this particular event might not be positive. Being teased, especially by really close friends, can be fun in its own way—but when taken the wrong way, someone is bound to get hurt and relationships will be strained. Youth and passion, young love—this was the fire that sought to melt the frozen boundaries of the partners' relationship. Perhaps it was a bit too intense and uncontrolled, but the ice surely started melting. Although, whether that would be a good thing in the long run, who knows?

But hey, when worse comes to worst, friendships can be mended, right? Right? Is there even any certainty?

* * *

 **AN:** We're halfway through! R &R~ I'll be back on January. Happy Holidays.


	4. Flare

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sofia the First in any way. This fic is only for my own entertainment and literary practice.**

* * *

Chapter 4: Flare

Any sort of strain or conflict is usually best treated right away. Muscle strains and wars, for example—it's best for everyone that they get resolved as quickly and painlessly as possible, otherwise they get aggravated. Strains in relationships could be thought of the same way—it is usually best to try and resolve problems as soon as it comes, because there is no doubt that a "tear" in a relationship will only get bigger the longer it stays. Unfortunately, it is not always that those problems could be immediately "treated." There are lots of factors that might get in the way of it. Emotions, for one, may sometimes cloud the straight path to resolution. "Once bitten, twice shy"—it's one of the most basic reflexes instilled in humans by nature. For the most part, it helps people survive and learn. Occasionally though, that same caution caused by fear would complicate otherwise simpler problems. There are times that the best solution is to take the problem head-on, but due to fear of getting hurt, people dance around the problem, which could lead to even more problems. Our royal lovebirds would learn this the hard way.

* * *

"Shut up! I don't _like_ Sofia, okay? She's just a girl I skate with, nothing more—and there never will be. No one has a crush on anyone; so just stop and mind your own business."

These were the words that Hugo had just exclaimed with a volume that managed to encompass the whole of the cafeteria. Amber clenched her fists. It echoed in her mind, the sound bouncing back and forth in her head repeatedly seemingly millions of times in the short seconds of silence that came after Hugo's outburst. She would have had the moment to unload an onslaught of questions and arguments on behalf of Sofia if she had just been a second quicker—but Sofia herself beat her to it.

"What did you mean by that?" asked Sofia, with the corners of her mouth ever so slightly dipped.

Hugo couldn't answer. Sofia was right in front of him. He knew he messed up—it was an impulse statement. What he just said was far from nice, and it couldn't have been farther from the truth either. He did not mean one bit of it.

"What did you mean by 'just a girl you skate with'?"

Sofia was getting impatient with receiving the reply that she had every right to have. Was she wrong in her thinking that Hugo and her were friends? Were they not friends off of the ice or the derby track? She must have had misunderstood or misheard—she didn't want to think that their closeness was apparently one-sided on her part.

Hugo swallowed in an attempt to ease the steadily increasing dryness that plagued his throat. He looked around and found that everyone's gaze was straight at him. He felt a bead of sweat run down his forehead. If he could turn back time and undo all this, he would without hesitation. He however did not have that kind of magic—nor did anyone in Royal Prep. The only clean solution to his predicament was something that even magic might not possible have the power to achieve. He simply watched as Sofia waited for his answer.

Sofia's unease grew the longer Hugo took to reply. She just couldn't wait anymore. "We're friends, aren't we?"

Hugo wanted to speak, but he couldn't. It was as if he used up all his voice blurting out that one sentence. Five seconds passed, then 10—until a full minute of unresponsiveness from Hugo. He was paralyzed where he stood, and his eyes were lifeless—from nervousness and regret, no doubt. But, to many, especially Sofia and Amber, it seemed as if Hugo's blank stare was caustic, giving off a vibe saying "Wasn't it obvious that we weren't?"

"Let's go, Sofia," said Amber softly to her sister. Amber guided her sister to the direction of the large doors of the cafeteria and gave her a soft push to get her going—but not before giving Hugo a glare that could shake the souls of even the most seasoned knights.

James hurriedly trailed after them, but he slipped forward and slammed a hand on the table for support, knocking over the goblet on Hugo's table along the way. He briefly stopped and turned to Hugo whose pants got splashed with juice.

"My bad, I tripped," said James coldly.

oOo

"Would anyone care to fill me in?"

James knew little of the situation at hand, save for what he had pieced together after that little cafeteria drama earlier. He had an inkling of what was going on, and that only made him crave to know more of the story—the whole of it, if possible. It didn't help that he was not able to catch up with Sofia and Amber when they left the cafeteria. The little he knew accentuated his lack of information, making it even more apparent to him as the clock ticked away; it made him feel unbearably curious and it bugged him to the point that he couldn't focus on the rest of the day's classes. After enduring class after class of patience, he finally got the opportunity to get answers. There wasn't any doubt in his mind that he could get them; Sofia and Amber were after all stuck with him on the coach for as long as it would take them to get back home.

"I'm not going to stop asking until someone says something," he had been at it for a good part of the quarter of an hour they had been in the sky. He knew that soon enough his sisters would crack and tell him what they're keeping from him. He just had to keep going.

"I'm pretty sure you like Hugo, right?" James was laying out all he knew in hopes of pulling a reaction.

Sofia froze up for a second and afterwards shot a look at Amber.

"I didn't tell him anything! Honest."

"Then you were kinda publicly rejected—you know, I always thought Hugo liked you. It's alright, he was jerk, anyways. There are plenty of other-OW!"

Amber jabbed James on his arm to silence him. Just when she thought Sofia had already moved past it—she had already been acting "normal" for some time—James had to insist with his borderline insensitive babble. She knew her brother meant well and that he was just showing concern in his own way, but he had managed to bring out a downcast Sofia.

Just one look at Sofia and James swallowed everything else that he was going to say and started anew. "Does it bother you that much?"

"Obviously," Amber whispered to James through her clenched teeth, "She's heartbroken!"

"I wouldn't go that far," James whispered back, "I mean, it would hurt no matter which friend told you he never thought of you as a friend."

"Oh, come on, James. It's right in front of you."

"You've been reading waaay too much romance lately."

"I know you're being considerate by whispering, but I could still hear every word," Sofia sighed. "It's okay, I'm fine. Thank you but there's really no need to worry," said Sofia as she beamed her smile as she got out of the carriage.

She was home, finally. She ran inside as soon as she got both her feet on the ground. She whizzed past Baileywick who had come to greet them, greeting him only with a hurried "Hi, Baileywick. I won't be needing dinner, I'm still full. Thank you!" as she ran. Sofia wanted to go straight to her room. She didn't want to have to tell any more white lies; because, the truth was that she's not "okay." She's disappointed, frustrated, sad, and maybe even a little angry with Hugo. She needed space gather herself and think, and she thought that maybe Clover would have some insights to share as well. That was what she needed, she thought, and she would be fine afterwards—nobody needed to worry about her.

oOo

" _What do you think, Clover?" asked Sofia, with her bunny sitting on the pillow she had on her lap._

" _Seems to me like this Hugo dude isn't worth the time, Princess," he puffed. "Why, if I get my paws on him-" said Clover as he threw a few punches to the air, tumbling down the pillow and to the bed when he lost balance on the uppercut._

" _You get the point," he smiled, ears perking up. "My advice, Princess, just don't mind him. Do your own thing. Heck, I'd ignore him if I were you."_

 _Clover's ears twitched, sensing a drop in Sofia's mood._

" _Awww, no, don't tell me you still like the guy?"_

 _Sofia nodded. It wasn't because she was that attached to him; she just couldn't help but feel that Hugo wasn't entirely truthful. Call her hopeless or full of herself, if you will, but Sofia wasn't convinced that the times she spent with Hugo meant nothing to him. He had been always been no short of sweet and tender when they skate—and even after, when he walks her to her coach. But, then again, there were times when Hugo would go 180 degrees in the middle of a conversation and abruptly act cold, even when he had been pleasantly warm seconds before. It was really very confusing. She didn't know what to believe—but she knew what she wanted to believe._

" _Let me tell you something, Sofia. Not every prince leads to a 'happily ever after.' I've seen it like a bazillion times when princesses just let themselves and their trust be broken over and over again believing in that one no-good prince—they're too nice. You're too nice. If you're not careful, you might end up like them. Forgiveness shouldn't be given that easily."_

 _Clover gave her a moment to think it over before hopping off to the light switch to make the room dark for bed._

"Sofia!" Amber called out, for the second time, snapping Sofia out of her trance. Amber cleared her throat when she saw Sofia back in attention.

"I was saying I'll be your skating partner today—or from now on, if you'd like."

They were on their way to the frozen lake for ice dancing. To be honest, Sofia was both eager and hesitant to come to class. She was eager to find out the truth for herself, and she was hesitant because it was certainly going to be _at least_ awkward to be skating with her usual partner. There was also Clover's advice and Amber's offer—she wasn't sure if she wanted to take those. But, she had little time to decide, as Hugo was, for once, the first one on the ice.

He was already there waiting for Sofia. He knew that a simple apology won't clear things up between him and Sofia; but he still had to do so. It was the least he could do, his brother Axel told him. He had already prepared himself mentally; he even practiced with his reflection on the ice when he was still alone a few minutes ago, although he wouldn't admit doing something that uncool and dorky. He had already made up his mind that he would go straight towards Sofia and talk to her as soon as he saw her—and there she was.

Hugo skated forward, towards the edge of the lake to meet Sofia. He debated with himself whether he would wave like usual. He decided against it; he wasn't yet sure if Sofia was mad at him. What Sofia thought of him actually weighed heavily in his mind—so much so that he had actually cried at home thinking that Sofia might end up hating him, which was extremely and unusually pessimistic of him. Much to his embarrassment, Axel caught him crying; Axel actually stayed with him the whole time comforting him and eventually teasing him about how he still had a "chance" of "wooing" Sofia (or so he put it).

Amber pulled Sofia to another part of the frozen lake to avoid Axel. "He still has the nerve to approach you. I can't believe I thought he'd be a cute match for you!"

Hugo's chest churned as he watched the cross looks Amber gave him as she walked away with Sofia. In Hugo's perspective, Sofia too, had intended to avoid him. In Hugo's mind, there was no other interpretation. To his credit though, he wasn't that far from the reality.

The moment Sofia noticed Hugo move towards her, a weird sense of apprehension came over her. All of Clover's warnings and the whole of their conversation last night unloaded themselves in her head and bombarded her thoughts. Her heart felt as if it was skipping beats. She suddenly did not want to see Hugo. Brave as she was, she wasn't immune to the fear of getting hurt again. Especially since, to her, realistically, given the recent events, it was more likely that Hugo did not like her the same way she likes him. Clover even said that it was entirely possible that Hugo never liked her to start with—for all they know, he could have been holding a grudge against her for taking his spot in Royal Prep's Flying Derby team when Sofia had first tried out.

Despite having the sense that he wasn't wanted near them, Hugo nevertheless pushed forward, hoping for the chance to talk to Sofia.

"S-Sofia!" he managed to blurt out despite practically being the embodiment of nervousness and anxiety at that moment, "S-s-shall we skate?" He thought it would be easier to talk to her while they were skating—ice dancing with a partner kind of gives off an impression of being the only two people in the world, and he was banking on that feeling.

Sofia's legs involuntarily shook, and she hated herself for it. She was a Story Keeper for Pete's sake! She took on villains and dragons, yet here she was, scared of finding out what the boy in front of her wanted. It wasn't like her to be like this. She looked to her sister for support, which she got in the form of a nod.

"I-I," Sofia then shook her head to free herself from the stutter, "I won't be skating with you today."

Her words resounded clearly and firmly, like a true princess. Hugo's skates slowly displaced him away, it was as if Sofia's words made his shoes glide backwards to keep him away from her. He wanted to speak but his tongue was tied; he held fists tightly to his side as if to help fight the pain that was exploding in his chest. He felt his facial muscles starting to contort to a grimace, which he did not want Sofia to see; so, he spun and skated away to the other edge of the lake, with all sorts of worse-case-scenarios about his friendship with Sofia appearing in his mind.

Sofia was the first to ask and encourage Hugo to skate; she had also been one of the biggest reasons why he ice danced—he loved dancing with her. Now, he felt like he might not ever get to dance with her again.

* * *

Many a time, direct communication is the key to solving kinks in a friendship—but people dance around the problem and unintentionally create misunderstandings, and in turn, more conflicts. Although they tried to talk, our ice dancing duo had just too many obstacles, they were too late and they had just open up another rift between them. What's worse is that it's really no one's fault and there is no clear outlet for releasing the tension—it could only build up, and eventually, possibly cause the bond to self-destruct.

* * *

 **AN:** I tried. I'm not sure if I'm happy with the chapter actually; the idea looked better in the outline—but, I hope you guys still enjoyed it all the same. Please tell me what you think.

I'm happy and thankful for all of you who have stuck with this story thus far. We're nearing the end of this tale; the next chapter would be the last (unless I suddenly decide to do an epilogue or something). I hope you will all still return for the final chapter.


	5. Melt

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sofia the First in any way. This fic is only for my own entertainment and literary practice.**

 **Replies to questions in Guest reviews:  
1\. Bawanggoreng: **Yes, I expect to have the next chapter of WAFF finished and posted by the end of this January (as long as this semester doesn't prove too rough on me). The only reason I got to post this was because it was already half-written. I had planned to finish this fic before school started, but I didn't have the time to do so. Also, I didn't notice that I put James in a "clueless" role too often—I need to fix that. Thank you for noticing.

 **2\. Mushu:** I'm under the impression that they won't think too much of it. As evidenced by the episode "Camp Wilderwood," it seems that they don't eat together too often; or if they do, they're at least very considerate of each other's schedule that they would simply just think that Sofia's had something else to do.

* * *

Chapter 5: Melt

Some say that there cannot be progress without damage; another similar thought that's more popular, though nuanced, is "No pain, no gain." It's true for some things. Athletes cause tiny breakages in their bones and muscles which the body would not only then heal, but also make them stronger. Blacksmiths put their metals under severe temperature conditions, breaking some of the metallic bonds keeping their atoms together; they also hammer the metals down, compressing it—all to end up with those same metals in a more durable form. Now, whether its also true for friendships, that can't be concluded. However, "can't be concluded" does not necessarily mean that there can't be a case where it is true—which brings us to our Princess and Prince.

* * *

Sofia wanted to skate with Hugo—she really did. She had prepared herself to act normal, as if nothing had ever happened, in hopes that Hugo would also act normal around her as well. She wanted to hear Hugo's side, to find out if what he had said was true. But, evidently, she had not prepared enough; she wasn't ready to know. Sofia was not one to back out once she set her mind on something, but it was one of those rare times that she could not help but do so. In her mind, it wasn't a big deal. She just turned down an invitation; which is natural for even the closest of friends, really. Even best of friends are not "inseparable" in its truest sense. It's not unheard of to see someone say "no" to a friend asking to hang out. To Hugo, however, Sofia flat out rejected him—not his invitation, but himself.

He thought highly of her. Sofia was one of the only people that still stuck around even after being subjected to his "bad side." Even after all the mean things he had done to her in the past—bullying her, knocking her off her flying horse—she still found it in herself to be his friend. He felt like she understood him more than anyone. She saw through his facade of confidence that time he played as a substitute for James in a Derby competition. She didn't make fun of him, instead she helped him believe more in himself, and, over time, his facade became real. He also owed it to Sofia that he ice dances today; without her, he wouldn't still be ice dancing. Her genuine niceness was actually what made him like her—"like" her. Hugo treasured his friendship with Sofia; he values it so much so that the possibility that he might have damaged it had made him shortsighted and a little paranoid.

He thought that, like Sofia to him, he, too, understands her. Hugo had been wrong about his assumptions. First of all, Sofia did not have a profound understanding of him; she can't know what he's thinking nor could she read him. It was just his impression of her; it only seemed that way to him because they got along well. He was also wrong to assume that he knew exactly how her mind works. Knowing someone well enough could give you a sense of what someone might do or where someone might go, but that does not mean knowing what they are thinking. He read every gesture of Sofia before approaching her, albeit incorrectly. From the slightest shift of her gaze, her tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, to the little stutter in her speech when she told him she wasn't skating with him today, he attached a meaning to every action. Of course, he'd be wrong in whatever conclusion he might have come to. He wasn't Holmes or some sort of mentalist. In the first place, his mind was already biased to a conclusion based from his perception of the things that recently happened between them. There was no way he could have been objective. In the end, he "confirmed" his preconceptions—that their friendship was no more.

In reality, Sofia had no intention of ending their relationship. If she found out that Hugo wasn't lying when he said he didn't think they were friends, she was just going to start over and try her best to be friends with him for real. She would prefer if he was not being honest though, and that he had some reason for denying their friendship—she didn't want to think that Hugo was just tolerating her company and that she was just one-sidedly clinging to him under the impression they were close. Because, honestly, it's an embarrassing thought even for her.

Things were a mess, and it went on for days. Hugo stopped attending ice dancing practice, but he occasionally visited in secret, just to catch a glimpse of how Sofia was doing, which worsened the situation. Sofia loved ice dancing as much as he did, and she was friends with everyone on the ice, plus she was skating with Amber. She was bound to smile and have fun. It gave him more reason to believe that Sofia was done with him. The fact that Hugo put more weight in their "fight" didn't help either. To her it became just another day. Things like that were commonplace in her old school back when she was a commoner. If she had a gold bar for every time Jade had come to "hate" her, only for them to become friends again soon afterwards, she'd be wealthier than King Roland. Sure, she would feel sad, sometimes anxious, when it happens—she was shocked, certainly, about what had happened a week ago with Hugo; and, for a time, she worried a lot about it. But she didn't hold it to heart like Amber and James thought. "Life happens"—Miranda taught her that. Sofia was still worried, however, but for different reasons.

She skated around the boundaries of the lake again, looking for any signs of Hugo. He wasn't coming again. She had not had the chance to talk to him, and she had barely seen Hugo since she turned down his asking to dance a week ago. He had not attended ice dancing class for a whole week. And, every day, when she looked for him, he was always some place else; when she did get to catch him in the same room as her, he was always with a group, and he would quickly leave as soon as she made the slightest step towards them. If she didn't know any better she would say that he was _avoiding_ her.

"Skate with me?" asked Amber.

After scanning around the lake with her eyes one last time for Hugo, Sofia nodded. "Okay."

oOo

"Going home early again, Baby Bro? What, did you quit ice dancing?" asked Axel from inside the coach.

"Why are you here? You're not a sub anymore; Professor got back the other day."

"Visiting. I noticed you told the coachman to pick you up early again this morning. I just hopped on when the coach was about to leave. I figured you planned on skipping ice dancing today too. You still haven't answered my question."

"I lost my partner."

"Last I checked you don't need a partner to attend any class."

Hugo wasn't in the mood to deign his brother's comment with a reply.

"I'm telling you just talk to her."

"It's not that simple," Hugo shot back, shouting, then repeated in a softer tone, "It's not that simple."

"What is?"

Noticing that Hugo was about to leave, Axel stood up from his seat and grabbed one of Hugo's shoulders. "No, I'm not going to let you walk out on me again. And, we're not at home, you can't shut yourself in your room. This is getting out of hand. If you would just listen to me," It was becoming painful to watch for Axel. This time he was serious, he wasn't going to throw playful and coy remarks like a doting big brother anymore. This time, he meant business. He was not going to watch Hugo self-destruct over a trifle—no, over _nothing_.

He tried shaking off Axel's hand, but it only made his brother grip tighter.

"You're overreacting. You're making this bigger than it is. If anyone should be hurt, it's not you, it's Sofia. The way you're acting, she probably thinks you really did mean that you never liked her."

"How am I overreacting?" Hugo asked in a raised voice.

"Think about it. You shouted to the whole school that you were not friends with Sofia—okay, sure, that's plenty embarrassing in itself. But why is it you're the one who is all beat up about it? She probably has no problems still being, or making, friends with you. You just need to-"

"But she doesn't want to dance with me. It's over."

"What is over? Baby Bro, you really are still a baby. You're also a drama queen. You're lucky you have this big brother," said Axel, pointing to his chest with his thumb. "That was just one time, and that's after you told her you didn't like her. Of course she would think twice about dancing with you then! Try again."

"You don't understand. It looked like she didn't want anything to do with me," he sulked.

"You _think_ that she looked like she didn't want anything to do with you. That's why you're getting nowhere. You're seeing a huge problem when there really is zero. You've done worse things to her and yet she was still the first to ask you to skate with her; she was still the only one who helped you admit to Dad that you liked ice dancing. Do you really think your friendship is that fragile that it would break over you saying something stupid. This isn't a drama, nothing major happened. All you need to do is talk.

"Look, Baby Bro. Let's say Sofia really did become angry at you; how is avoiding her going to help? Now, how about the other possibility, what if she _wasn't_ angry with you, which is a lot more likely—you're here licking your wounds, thinking you got them from a war you can't stop, when really, you just tripped," Axel stroked his chin in thought for a moment before adding: "Hey, that was a pretty good metaphor!"

Axel might act carefree and happy-go-lucky, some would even say frivolous, but he was insightful and he had a good head on his shoulders—not to mention years more experience than Hugo. He was right. There really was no problem—it just seemed like it. How everyone else in the cafeteria reacted that day also made it seem more like a full blown drama. It was just misunderstanding after misunderstanding piling up. The only solution is to man up and clear things up.

Hugo silently walked away, now free of Axel's grip.

"Leaving? Fine. But I promise you, the more you put this off, the harder it will be. If you keep this up, forget about dancing with her, you're never going to be able to talk to her. Eventually, you'll just become a childhood memory."

Hugo did not stop and just continued on his way as if he didn't hear Axel.

Axel could only hope that he got to his little brother.

The farther he got from the coach the more Axel's words made sense to Hugo—and he didn't like it. It irritated him, but it also somehow soothed him; it gave him hope. He then thought about the last things Axel said to him, _"If you keep this up, forget about dancing with her, you're never going to be able to talk to her. Eventually, you'll just become a childhood memory."_ He looked back to the past few days when he had been actively avoiding Sofia. Come to think of it, there wasn't one day when he was able to bring himself to sincerely smile. He was part of a fairly large group of friends, and yet it had been lonely. James was sort of distancing himself too—Hugo couldn't blame him. It all just made the time he spent ice dancing with Sofia seem that much more precious to him.

Hugo can surprisingly be very pliable despite his naturally stubborn nature. He just needed a little wake up call which Axel had administered successfully. He'd lose, forever, whom he considered his best friend? No, not like this—not with him just giving up. He took out the ice dancing shoes in his bag and held the pair of shoes against his chest with his left arm. He could still make it to the lake before Sofia left. He ran faster than he ever had before, being able to take 3 full strides before his bag touched the ground after letting it go.

oOo

Sofia slowed down to a stop at the sight of a boy just outside the edge of the ice, inches away from her. He looked haggard and out of breath. His face was pink from exhaustion, and he was sweating like there was a heatwave when it's cold enough that a penguin could survive comfortably.

"Hugo?" Sofia asked, surprised.

Amber approached them, noticing that Sofia stopped. "What do you want?" she asked crossly.

"A dance," Hugo managed to utter, after catching his breath. His eyes reflected sincere resolve. Axel managed to get through to him.

"Too bad, class already ended," snapped Amber.

"Sure," Sofia nonchalantly. Sofia did want to dance with Hugo—they hadn't been able to dance together all week. Truthfully, she had missed partnering up with him. Ice dancing had not been the same without Hugo.

"What?" Amber asked, simultaneously with Hugo, astounded.

Hugo was just as surprised as Amber was. He really didn't think that Sofia would actually agree to skate with him. He really didn't come storming in at full speed to the frozen lake with a plan—it was kind of a "make-it-up" as he goes, sort of ordeal. He didn't think that he would get this far that easily; frankly, he was at a loss. Both he and Amber were under the impression that Sofia didn't want to be near him. Who would, in their right mind, agree to dance with someone who had supposedly hurt them?

"Is there something on my face?"

"N-no," replied Amber incredulously. "But," Amber began voicing her disapproval Sofia's decision, shifting glances between her sister and Hugo; but, remembering how Sofia was, she let it go. "I'll go warm myself up ahead of you, then."

Sofia was capable of the most illogical but sweetest things, Amber remembered. Amber used to bully her a lot when she first came in the castle, and yet, here they are getting along. Amber sometimes thought, when fondly recalling that memory, that if it were her in Sofia's shoes, she would never had given any chance at all for redemption. After all that, really? Amber sighed, looking back to the frozen lake where her sister was, who was apparently smiling—Amber couldn't help but smile too. She could never fathom how her sister's mind worked, she thought as she walked away. "If you're okay with this," she muttered to herself, "Then, alright."

"So, are you gonna tell me why you missed a week of ice dancing?" asked Sofia as she offered her hand while skating circles around Hugo who was now already on the ice.

Hugo took her hand without saying anything, he was still thinking what the best things to say were. He was afraid that he might blow it. Fortunately, taking her hand took off a bit of his edge.

He twirled Sofia under his arm like he used to.

"W-whoa!" she laughed as she was spun four whole rotations. She straightened up after exiting the twirl, her face directly in front of Hugo. "Why does it look like I'm the only one having fun. Come on," she said, picking up the pace of their dance to its usual speed.

"Aren't you mad at me?" Hugo asked, releasing his partner, letting her skate around untethered to him.

Sofia stopped.

"I've said some mean things, and I'm really sorry."

"We're friends, aren't we?"

"You're one of my closest," admitted Hugo, blushing. It was a line half-borrowed from Axel. He couldn't believe he managed to spout out something that cheesy.

Sofia turned a light shade of pink, "O-oh."

Hugo cleared his throat in an attempt to escape the building awkwardness.

"Want to help me with my flips?"

"O-okay."

It was just like before, but at the same time it wasn't. There was a weird feeling that Hugo couldn't pinpoint. They were still "dancing" around the conversation as if avoiding something.

"That's it?" asked Hugo, as they were accelerating for a big jump.

"What is?"

"I kind of thought that you would be more upset with me or something."

"To tell you the truth, I was kind of upset. For a while there I thought I was just being pushy asking you to partner up with me all the time."

Hugo planted his heel on the ice to make his body serve as an axle, so that he could swing Sofia around as he rotated for her to gain even more speed. "You weren't, believe me. I love skating with you." At this point, Hugo just chose to focus on ice dancing, and left whatever he said to how he really felt. He had little awareness of what he was saying other than it was the truth and it came from the heart. He could barely hear himself, too; the sounds of the wind crashing onto them and their skates slicing through the surface of the ice at the speed they're going made their conversation a bit difficult to hear—they were already half shouting.

Hugo slung Sofia in a direction, transferring most of his momentum to Sofia. "You're not going to ask why I said what I said?" Hugo shouted.

"It's fine if you don't want to tell me. We all have something we don't want to talk about," replied Sofia with equal volume while bending her knees in preparation for the jump.

Hugo felt relieved. He really didn't know the answer either.

He watched as her partner practically flew up to the skies. One twirl, a backflip, a butterfly kick, then a twist—it was _Sparkling Fireworks,_ Hugo thought. He noticed her moderately wavy hair gracefully trace her path, her sweat glisten in the sunset as it slid off her skin as she spun around in the air, her growing grin as she neared the end of the trick. Her eyes, as she twisted and turned above, continued to shine with her own brand of focus and passion that never failed to manifest whenever she was doing anything she loved—it was one of the things that Hugo couldn't take his eyes off of once he got even just a glimpse. Watching her made it more plain to him how much he really thought she was amazing—he couldn't imagine why he could ever have thought of denying being associated with Sofia. He really did like her.

Sofia's focus broke in the middle of her flip. It was like the brakes were pulled and she stopped spinning. Her face was completely flushed. "What?" she exclaimed as she fell. She heard him.

Hugo immediately rushed to catch his partner, and was able to catch safely in his arms.

"This can't be good for the back of a growing boy," he quipped.

Sofia stared at Hugo's eyes, her face still as pink as ever.

Hugo was unaware that he thought out loud—that he actually said "I like you." He didn't say it loudly as it would have been if he had shouted, but apparently audibly enough that Sofia heard it through her flips. Hugo was unaware that he had narrated his thoughts—that he actually said "I like you"—that is, until Sofia asked him to say it again.

He panicked. "Did I say that out loud?" he thought as he mentally scolded himself. But, looking at Sofia, he felt this overwhelming urge to say it again. He decided he was finally going to admit, both to himself and his partner.

He put Sofia down and turned around, preparing himself to sprint, in the direction to his ride home, twice as fast as he did coming here. "I'm only going to say this again, once, so listen carefully."

* * *

Sometimes, it takes a bit of force to get someone to do something. A lot of kids wouldn't recite poetry in front of class for a grade if they weren't, in a sense, "forced" to. The hiccup in their relationship forced an opportunity for them to open up; and, from here, their relationship could continue developing in many different aspects.

Some friendships grow continuously as time goes, some reach a plateau that oftentimes slope downwards as the friends drift apart. Their relationship was like the latter, it was originally steadying to a stasis—it was frozen. Well, given enough heat, ice melts. Their relationship took a sudden turn and it has opened up paths to different possibilities for the future. Where their relationship would go, is up to them, and only time will tell.

oOo

"It's not 'Happily ever after' yet, children. There's still ways to go," said a grinning Flora who was watching the two from afar. "I'll be looking forward to when they grow older," she added as she playfully swivelled her wand in front of her.

* * *

 **Afterword:**

Well, that's the end of this fic—this is actually the first multi-chaptered story I've ever completed. I know this account was made years ago, but most of that time is me being inactive; I've started writing again just summer last year. I hope you all enjoyed this short story as much as I have had enjoyed writing every bit of it (except for the times I got stuck and found out that what I had written was so bad that I had to start all over again). If you were expecting them to kiss or something, I never planned for them to do anything beyond a hug (which they didn't actually do in this fic unless you count Hugo catching Sofia as a hug). There's only so much physical romance I could make fictional kids around 9 do. Kissing was out of the question.

I'd like to thank everyone who took the time off their day to read, follow, fave, or review this story. To those who have supported this fic from the very beginning until the end, never failing to review a chapter: MoonfallExpress, SofiaxHugo Fan, and STR2D3PO—thank you so much. I didn't expect this fic to get this much love from its readers to be honest, let alone accumulate more than 10 reviews. I'm just sorry that I couldn't make something better for all of you. But, that's why I'm here: to improve.

I have another StF fic in the works that's going to be a lot longer than this and will have a serious plot line. It will be my first T rated StF fic as well as my first where they aren't still kids. I already have a Sofia and an Amber fic, completing the trio, it's going to be a James fic (also starring Lucinda). I don't know when I'll get to post it or if I ever get to post it at all, but hopefully it's going to come out better than any of my fics so far.

My rambling has already inflated my word count too much, so I'll stop now. For the last time in this fic: Bye, tell me what you think, and thanks again.

*(2017-01-30): I'm taking a break from posting on fanfiction - (continued on profile)


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